For those sedentary people who've adopted the I'm-fine-the-way-I-am philosophy regarding
 their weight, here's sobering news: If they hope to maintain that weight without        
 dieting, they're going to have to exercise.                                             
                                                                                         
 Besides helping people lose weight, exercise helps people maintain their weight. Without
 it, the average person gains a pound a year between ages 25 and 55. People who already tend to be heavy gain more.                                                             
                                                                                         
 The importance of exercise for weight maintenance was illustrated in a new study        
 conducted at Duke University in Durham, N.C.                                            
                                                                                         
 Researchers divided 120 sedentary participants, all overweight to mildly obese, into    
 four groups. The control group did no exercise. A second group did the caloric          
 equivalent of brisk walking 30 minutes a day, or 11 miles a week; a third group did the 
 equivalent of jogging 20 minutes a day, or 11 miles a week; and the fourth did the      
 equivalent of jogging 30 minutes a day, or 17 miles a week. (In fact, participants      
 exercised on a combination of treadmills, cycle ergometers and elliptical trainers.) The
 men and women, who were between the ages of 40 and 65, were told not to change their    
 eating habits during the eight-month study.                                             
                                                                                         
 At the study's conclusion, 73% of participants in the two groups who logged the         
 equivalent of 11 miles a week either maintained their weight or lost up to three pounds.
 Those in the most vigorous exercise group lost an average of six pounds each, or the    
 equivalent of 10 pounds of fat, when adjusted for the lean body mass gained.            
                                                                                         
 "But the most surprising finding," said Cris Slentz, exercise physiologist and lead     
 researcher on the study, "was how fast the group who did nothing gained weight. We expect control groups to stay the same, but this group gained an average of 2.4 pounds in six months."    

 

Just 30 minutes a day most days of the week are all you need to maintain weight and     
 fitness, Church said. "Some groups have come out saying you need to work out an hour a  
 day," he added. "Not only is that unrealistic, the science says it's unnecessary."      
                                                                                         
 Finally, those starting on a fitness program should not be discouraged by slow or what  
 they perceive as no results.                                                            
                                                                                         
 "I see people who have been steadily gaining two pounds a year," said Slentz. "They     
 start walking eight to 10 miles a week and complain that after nine months they haven't 
 lost a pound. That needs to be interpreted in a different light: They didn't gain any   
 weight. That is a real success."